Varkala Residency
Hotel
Days 1–6
Varkala surf week - 7 Days (Trivandrum, North Cliff, Anjengo, Edava & Kappil)
Seven days, two sessions a day, under the cliff. Seven days with two coached sessions daily, boards included and a cliff-top room over the break.
Tidewrack Voyages
Runs this trip
Surfing
Seven days, two sessions a day, under the cliff
Group Tour
Join a fixed-date departure with other travellers
Top Highlights
North CliffSeven days learning to surf on a beach break under a laterite cliff, which is not a landscape the west coast repeats anywhere else. Papanasam beachTwo sessions a day is the schedule that actually teaches surfing. Black beachGetting past the break is harder than standing up and nobody warns beginners about this either.
Itinerary
Seven days learning to surf on a beach break under a laterite cliff, which is not a landscape the west coast repeats anywhere else.
Varkala, North CliffHow the day runs
- 1 hrsTransfer up the coast from Trivandrum
- MealsDinner
- AccommodationVarkala Residency
Included Activities
- Airport transfer
- Cliff-top guesthouse
- Board fitting
LANDMARKS North Cliff Papanasam beach Janardanaswamy temple Start point Trivandrum, Trivandrum International Airport (TRV), Thiruvananthapuram 00:00 - 23:59Two sessions a day is the schedule that actually teaches surfing. One a day teaches you to be tired.
Varkala, North CliffHow the day runs
- 6:30 AM — theory on the sand, then two hours in the whitewater
- 4:30 PM — a second session on the evening tide
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationVarkala Residency
Included Activities
- Board and rash guard
- Two coached sessions
- Guesthouse night
LANDMARKS Papanasam beach Beach break Getting past the break is harder than standing up and nobody warns beginners about this either.
Varkala, North CliffHow the day runs
- 6:30 AM — the paddle out, and the first unbroken wave
- 4:30 PM — evening session
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationVarkala Residency
Included Activities
- Board and rash guard
- Two coached sessions
- Guesthouse night
LANDMARKS Papanasam beach Black beach Anjengo was the East India Company's first foothold in Kerala and the fort is still standing over the fishing beach.
Varkala, AnjengoHow the day runs
- 2 hrs9:00 AM — the backwater canal south
- 3:00 PM — the fort and the lighthouse at Anjengo
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationVarkala Residency
Included Activities
- Backwater boat
- Guesthouse night
LANDMARKS Anjengo fort Kappil backwaters Lighthouse Edava is ten minutes north and usually empty, which by day five matters more than the wave being marginally better.
Varkala, Edava, KappilHow the day runs
- 1 hrs6:00 AM — north to the empty beach
- 4:30 PM — back at Papanasam for the evening
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationVarkala Residency
Included Activities
- Transport
- Board and two sessions
- Guesthouse night
LANDMARKS Edava beach Kappil lake Backwater mouth By day six the coaching moves to the beach and you paddle out alone, which is the actual test of whether the week worked.
Varkala, North CliffHow the day runs
- 6:30 AM — coached from the beach rather than the water
- 4:30 PM — the last session, on your own
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationVarkala Residency
Included Activities
- Board and rash guard
- Two sessions
- Guesthouse night
LANDMARKS Papanasam beach North Cliff sunset Trivandrum is an hour south and flies to the Gulf as well as to Indian metros.
VarkalaHow the day runs
- 1 hrs11:00 AM — south to Trivandrum
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationNot included — onward travel
Included Activities
- Board handback
- Airport transfer
- Day 1Airport transfer
- Day 1Cliff-top guesthouse
- Day 1Board fitting
- Day 2Board and rash guard
- Day 2Two coached sessions
- Day 2Guesthouse night
- Day 4Backwater boat
- Day 5Transport
- Day 5Board and two sessions
- Day 6Two sessions
- Day 7Board handback
- Day 1 · 6 nightsVarkala Residency
- Day 1Varkala to VarkalaTransfer up the coast from Trivandrum
- Day 5Varkala to Edava6:00 AM — north to the empty beach
- Day 7Varkala to Varkala11:00 AM — south to Trivandrum
Where you'll stay
All accommodations are subject to change
What you'll eat
6 breakfasts and 2 dinners across 7 days, at the lodges you sleep in. It opens with dinner on day 1 and closes with breakfast on day 7.
- DinnerServed on days 1, 6
- BreakfastServed on days 2–7
8 meal services named in the itinerary. Vegetarian and vegan covered; Jain, gluten-free and allergies on notice at booking
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Customer reviews
Overall rating
3.8/5
Based on 4 reviews
Review summary
Food4.3/5
Guide4.3/5
Itinerary3.8/5
Transport3.8/5
Accommodation3.8/5
Tour operator4.0/5
Sort by:Recommended
3
A
Ananya Gupta – Chennai2025-12-27 · Verified booking
Conditions were poor for two of the days, which nobody can control, but the schedule wasn't adjusted. The team read the group well and adjusted without making a thing of it.
Reply from Tidewrack Voyages
Thank you for travelling with us — glad the route worked out.
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3
T
Tara D'Souza – Kolkata2025-12-27 · Verified booking
Boat was crowded. Fine for the diving, less fine for the surface intervals. The team read the group well and adjusted without making a thing of it.
Reply from Tidewrack Voyages
Thank you. We've taken the point about the transfer and are reviewing it.
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4
M
Manav Sethi – Nagpur2025-12-27 · Verified booking
Instruction was patient — I came in nervous and finished wanting to book the next level. Solid operator.
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5
N
Nikhil Joshi – Chennai2025-12-27 · Verified booking
Instruction was patient — I came in nervous and finished wanting to book the next level. No complaints about any of the hotels — all of them well placed. Meals were good throughout and the vegetarian options weren't an afterthought. No hesitation recommending them.
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Questions people ask
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